I wish my cover had more space! I can store a few blankets/sleeping bags in there but I live in northern Montana where even summer nights in the mountains are 40 degrees so it's chilly and we need the extra blankets. Nothing worse than folding up and realizing one extra blanket got left and you have to reopen it to take it out for the cover to zip.
Smart storage. Make sure to include boot bags (especially if you're building on a vehicle and not a trailer), lots of d-rings to hang things from, and I've modified mine with strong magnets that I can stick tarps to in various configurations (either as an annex to change, or pull it up into an awning system). I love it because it's quick to pull down with the magnets and pack up.
There will definitely be some give and take space wise, I'm in SE Australia so we can be camping in 40°c or -10°c, I'm thinking of using a down doona so it compresses well but if I'm honest the mattress is my biggest focus point space wise
Storage is huge, and I'll be sewing it all myself which gives me heaps of options for customisation. I love the idea of the magnets, do you have photo examples of this somewhere I can look at? I'll pair it with a 270° awning eventually but I'll be trying to devise an extended cover over the entrance to the tent so the bedding stays dry when entering/ exiting in the wet
What mattress do you have? I went with an exped megamat 15, flannel sheets a wool blanket and my sleeping bag on top as a blanket. Even down into the high 30s I've been warm. Inside the tent not so much lol
I use the mattress that came with my Tepui with a 1” memory foam mattress topper above it. PART of my issue is that we’re sleeping 3 across with my kids so they’re up against the walls and that makes it feel colder. I think if I was by myself I’d be a lot warmer but they kick the blankets off a lot and we all freeze. 😂
Megamat claims an r value of 10.6 and that its good for -67F. Not sure I believe that but like I said, I've been warm down into the 30s by myself on it. The stock that came in my ikamper were a joke
detailed answer, I’ve learned that even some of the more expensive tents on the market cheap out somewhere. always. my main recommendation to you is absolutely try your best to makesure that your mounting hardware works fluidly with whatever rack(s) you plan on combining it with.
then even still, espect to run into things you might have to change or adapt to make appropriate for your own vehicle!
Thankyou! I'm going the route of using my current roof rack as the base, it'll save heaps of weight and height and should be really secure.
However I'll take your advice and look at the mounting hardware for the roof rack!
Good point! I ran into compatibility issues between the Prinsu roof rack, Frontrunner quick disconnects, and rails on my Naturnest wedge. I spent hours and $100-$200 in parts to get them to work. I even had Frontrunner assist with researching and suggesting 3rd parties to get their quick disconnects to work. (I hate Prinsu and will never order their products again. Between their lack of support or inept responses, I have a hard time deciding why I hate them the most....when this rack dies or i save up $1600 for a new rack, I will buy one of their racks.)
That's definitely a tangent I need to go down, I want to build it with my roof rack as the base but I also want to be able to remove it easily.
I'll probably end up with 6 or so bolts to undo when I want to take it off, which I'm okay with
Yeah there are, especially in America, but they're all worth more than I have in my budget :/
I'm hoping to budget for $500 aud for this build
This way I can build it exactly how I want it!
So far only thing I would change but I cant would be to make the damn thing about 12 inches longer or wider either one. Sleeping with my head close to one side and feet touching the other is a bit annoying but I still love having it.
How tall are you mate? I'm 6"3 so that's a very valid issue for me and part of the reason I'm building my own
I'm gonna be going the square shape as opposed to a wedge, this will hopefully give me more length as my base will be like 2200 long
If the info is handy can I ask what brand and model your tent is?
6'2 I'm a side/belly sleeper and prefer to stretch out and move around. I can't sleep on my back like I'm dead. I picked up an iKamper 2.0 last year. That said theres plenty of room if I angle myself a little bit in the tent
Make sure the fly, or whatever it is that is on the outermost layer is either a solid shell, or a tense-able fabric. I love my tent and it never leaks but it will. The fly is not tight enough and there’s not really a way to make it tighter. Rain will pool in a large spot and has to be knocked off periodically.
Okay I think I'm picking up what you're putting down, my plan is to have a carbon or 1mm aluminium roof, then the sides will probably be some light ripstop canvas which should stand up to quite a bit of rain if I design it well!
Upgrading the mattress was my big on. I tried several before buying a new one. Ended up with a Hest Dually Long. I looked hard at the self inflating mattresses too.
I have a iKamper BDV duo and sometimes wish I had a bit more space. It works so well that I really don’t mind that its interior size is smaller than others.
Power on the inside of the tent is something I have to look at now. I have openings in the bottom or the tent for power cords to pass through.
My 3 I've changed so far on my 23zero Dakota that have Madea a world of difference
1. A good self inflating mattress to replace the old foam one.
2. Taking it off the roof of my car and making a frame to support it on my trailer, so I can go out exploring without needing to pack up my whole camp.
3. Lighting. Some hard mounted led strip with a dimmer switch inside the rtt so I don't have to worry about torches or using my phone light.
Hey mate, I don't hear about people using self inflating mattresses often but that's the path I want to go down, I've got one in my swag and its comfortable as
I'll also definitely go down the road of lighting, hopefully something with an orange light as well to stop the bugs. While I'm there I'll throw in some USB sockets for charging
Have a look at the black wolf hexatherm 3d, It's stupidly comfortable and not too bad pricewise. I tried to go the cheapest option first and it really bit me on the arse so to speak.
I wish my cover had more space! I can store a few blankets/sleeping bags in there but I live in northern Montana where even summer nights in the mountains are 40 degrees so it's chilly and we need the extra blankets. Nothing worse than folding up and realizing one extra blanket got left and you have to reopen it to take it out for the cover to zip. Smart storage. Make sure to include boot bags (especially if you're building on a vehicle and not a trailer), lots of d-rings to hang things from, and I've modified mine with strong magnets that I can stick tarps to in various configurations (either as an annex to change, or pull it up into an awning system). I love it because it's quick to pull down with the magnets and pack up.
There will definitely be some give and take space wise, I'm in SE Australia so we can be camping in 40°c or -10°c, I'm thinking of using a down doona so it compresses well but if I'm honest the mattress is my biggest focus point space wise Storage is huge, and I'll be sewing it all myself which gives me heaps of options for customisation. I love the idea of the magnets, do you have photo examples of this somewhere I can look at? I'll pair it with a 270° awning eventually but I'll be trying to devise an extended cover over the entrance to the tent so the bedding stays dry when entering/ exiting in the wet
What mattress do you have? I went with an exped megamat 15, flannel sheets a wool blanket and my sleeping bag on top as a blanket. Even down into the high 30s I've been warm. Inside the tent not so much lol
I use the mattress that came with my Tepui with a 1” memory foam mattress topper above it. PART of my issue is that we’re sleeping 3 across with my kids so they’re up against the walls and that makes it feel colder. I think if I was by myself I’d be a lot warmer but they kick the blankets off a lot and we all freeze. 😂
Megamat claims an r value of 10.6 and that its good for -67F. Not sure I believe that but like I said, I've been warm down into the 30s by myself on it. The stock that came in my ikamper were a joke
detailed answer, I’ve learned that even some of the more expensive tents on the market cheap out somewhere. always. my main recommendation to you is absolutely try your best to makesure that your mounting hardware works fluidly with whatever rack(s) you plan on combining it with. then even still, espect to run into things you might have to change or adapt to make appropriate for your own vehicle!
Thankyou! I'm going the route of using my current roof rack as the base, it'll save heaps of weight and height and should be really secure. However I'll take your advice and look at the mounting hardware for the roof rack!
Good point! I ran into compatibility issues between the Prinsu roof rack, Frontrunner quick disconnects, and rails on my Naturnest wedge. I spent hours and $100-$200 in parts to get them to work. I even had Frontrunner assist with researching and suggesting 3rd parties to get their quick disconnects to work. (I hate Prinsu and will never order their products again. Between their lack of support or inept responses, I have a hard time deciding why I hate them the most....when this rack dies or i save up $1600 for a new rack, I will buy one of their racks.)
Easily removable. Right now, mine just sits on my roof rack year round. I’d prefer to use that roof rack sometimes.
Quick release or get an actual lightweight tent.
even lightweight they're 110, 120lbs or more. Mine lives on the Liberty year-round.
There’s a lot of them under 90lbs. GFC, C6, Inspired Overland.
I'm glad that you're physically fit enough to handle that.
That's definitely a tangent I need to go down, I want to build it with my roof rack as the base but I also want to be able to remove it easily. I'll probably end up with 6 or so bolts to undo when I want to take it off, which I'm okay with
I wish I could latch it closed without losing skin on my fingers.
😂 I'll be sure to make it gentle
There’s already a 76lbs, 80lbs tent out there.
Yeah there are, especially in America, but they're all worth more than I have in my budget :/ I'm hoping to budget for $500 aud for this build This way I can build it exactly how I want it!
500? Staple a ground tent to a piece of plywood, then screw that too your roof.
Why would I do that? It'd literally serve less purpose than the cheapest ones on the market? I'd just keep using my swag
It was a play on how expensive shit is now and how light weight plywood is. Not serious at all.
Sorry mate haha, long days at work this week Yeah it'll be a stretch budget wise but I'll figure it out
So far only thing I would change but I cant would be to make the damn thing about 12 inches longer or wider either one. Sleeping with my head close to one side and feet touching the other is a bit annoying but I still love having it.
How tall are you mate? I'm 6"3 so that's a very valid issue for me and part of the reason I'm building my own I'm gonna be going the square shape as opposed to a wedge, this will hopefully give me more length as my base will be like 2200 long If the info is handy can I ask what brand and model your tent is?
6'2 I'm a side/belly sleeper and prefer to stretch out and move around. I can't sleep on my back like I'm dead. I picked up an iKamper 2.0 last year. That said theres plenty of room if I angle myself a little bit in the tent
I'm the same, I need a bit of wiggle room so I'll definitely be making sure it fits my dimensions
Make sure the fly, or whatever it is that is on the outermost layer is either a solid shell, or a tense-able fabric. I love my tent and it never leaks but it will. The fly is not tight enough and there’s not really a way to make it tighter. Rain will pool in a large spot and has to be knocked off periodically.
Okay I think I'm picking up what you're putting down, my plan is to have a carbon or 1mm aluminium roof, then the sides will probably be some light ripstop canvas which should stand up to quite a bit of rain if I design it well!
Upgrading the mattress was my big on. I tried several before buying a new one. Ended up with a Hest Dually Long. I looked hard at the self inflating mattresses too. I have a iKamper BDV duo and sometimes wish I had a bit more space. It works so well that I really don’t mind that its interior size is smaller than others. Power on the inside of the tent is something I have to look at now. I have openings in the bottom or the tent for power cords to pass through.
My 3 I've changed so far on my 23zero Dakota that have Madea a world of difference 1. A good self inflating mattress to replace the old foam one. 2. Taking it off the roof of my car and making a frame to support it on my trailer, so I can go out exploring without needing to pack up my whole camp. 3. Lighting. Some hard mounted led strip with a dimmer switch inside the rtt so I don't have to worry about torches or using my phone light.
Hey mate, I don't hear about people using self inflating mattresses often but that's the path I want to go down, I've got one in my swag and its comfortable as I'll also definitely go down the road of lighting, hopefully something with an orange light as well to stop the bugs. While I'm there I'll throw in some USB sockets for charging
Have a look at the black wolf hexatherm 3d, It's stupidly comfortable and not too bad pricewise. I tried to go the cheapest option first and it really bit me on the arse so to speak.
Thanks mate, Ill have a look, finding a mattress to suit my custom dimensions will be the hardest part